


Into the Coldest Water

by BlackCanary0001



Series: Batman one shots [24]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Artemis hates her dad, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Good Friend Wally West, Gotham City - Freeform, Gotham is rainy, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst, Not really but whatever, Pre-Relationship, Rain, Sharing an umbrella, Wally West Being an Idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:54:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29020785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackCanary0001/pseuds/BlackCanary0001
Summary: "Wally  doesn't now what is weirder, seeing Artemis in Gotham, or seeing Artemis crying in Gotham. He should just leave, he really should, it's not like they were freinds or anything... but it was cold, raining buckets and Wally is not a frickin' jerk, so no, leaving was not an option."
Relationships: Artemis Crock/Wally West
Series: Batman one shots [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1905481
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	Into the Coldest Water

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hellorflying](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellorflying/gifts).



> A friend an I (she's also the one this is dedicated to, check out her stories) started doing prompts for fun and this was the first one, "Sharing an umbrella".

Gotham was not what Wally would describe as _home-y._

She was dark and cold and rainy, the smell of foul food, garbage, body fluids and... other things hung heavily in the air, the thick smog burned in Wally's eyes, the sound of dogs barking _,_ shady deals going down, and even a distant scream assaulted his ears.

The homeless people surrounging burning trash cans were watching the speedster, their milky eyes following him as he hurried along, head between his shoulders to protect himself from unwanted gazes and the chilling rain that never seemed to stop.

Central city was by no means perfect, but there was a reason Flash fought crime in broad daylight; the crimes were just not horrible enough that they needed the darkness of night to cover them. 

Wally just couldn't fathom what Robin loved so much about the city. He didn't see the beauty his best friend sometimes talked about (Gotham didn't have all the crazies for nothing, after all, a city as shadowed and cruel birthed villains of the same kind.)

Ducking into another dark alley, hoping against all odds that there was no scary wanna-be mugger hiding somewhere, he stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets.

If he could, we would've sped out of there in a flash, no pun intended, but the last mission had ended with his leg in a brace and the doctor forbade him from running for at least another two weeks, not to mention that Batman didn't allow powers in his city and he would like to stay on the Bat's good side for now, thank you very much. 

God knows Bruce Wayne was not someone you want as you enemy (or even just to be annoyed at you, really). The man was careful to keep his two identities separated from each other, to not let the father show while in cowl and to keep the genius detective hidden beneath the character of playboy Brucie Wayne.

The thought of the King of Gotham made him squirm, even more so than usual.

Dick and Bruce had been at each other's throats almost daily for the last few weeks, Dick looking for fights, Bruce happy to comply.

It hasn't affected their work as Robin and Batman yet, but when it did (and it would, eventually), the fallout would be catastrophic. Wally just hoped he would be enough to catch his best friend when he fell (and wasn't that ironic, after all, Robin had always had a strange relationship with _falling_.)

A squeezing feeling curled in his gut, a tight and nauseating sensation. _Concern_ , he realized. Concern, because is best friend had been through so much trauma in his thirteen short years, and Wally was worried what a fallout with his father-figure would mean for Dick's mental health.

Dick might not like talking about it, but he depended on Bruce, depended on being _Robin_ , because sometimes Wally wondered what _really_ was the secret identity, Dick Grayson or Robin the Boy Wonder. He _lived_ Robin, and if anything happened that would put a distance between him and Batman, Wally wasn't sure he'd be able to keep the following explosion in check.

Turning left towards the train station to Central City, he swept his eyes across the almost empty street.

The broken streetlamps, suspicious glances and littered alleyways had made room for cobbled streets, houses with electric fences and an older couple dressed in an expensive suit and dress, huddled beneath a black umbrella.

The station was located in the wealthier part of town, closer to restaurants, theatres and the opera.

Wally had never been a fan of this whole rich-city-poor-city split, but he couldn't help feel relieved to be out of the shady parts of Gotham, even the air seemed cleared (it was still raining, though).

The wet clothes made him shiver, goosebumps raising on his skin, and he considered just waiting the rain out beneath a porch, but Gotham was known for it's daylong showers, and he'd like to get home tonight, mind you.

He was so focused on hurrying along, ducking his head as far as he could, he almost didn't see the person standing under the awning of a nearby building, a dark hoodie covering their head.

He nearly missed the long blond hair pouring out of the hood, the familiar posture, not straight, but not quite slumped either, alert even when relaxed. Wally barely managed not to trip over his own two feet as he stopped dead in his tracks, eyes zeroing in on the girl.

What the hell was _Artemis_ doing in _Gotham_ of all places?! Wasn't she supposed to be in Star City with her uncle or something?

(Not that he cared, why should he pay attention to what the archer was doing, that's ridiculous!)

Wally blinked rain drops out of his eyes, squinting to make sure that the person was in fact Artemis Crock, annoying archer of his team.

The thought of just going home shortly flashed through his mind, but Wally quickly discarded the idea again. He wasn't _that_ much of a jerk, not to mention that he was curious what she was doing in Gotham to begin with.

Approaching the teenage hero, Wally tried to come up with something to say.

He and Artemis weren't _not_ on speaking terms, but while he usually led with thoughtless banter, quips and jokes, things had become... awkward lately, like they were always lost for words. (She even accidentally complimented him the other day and Wally wasn't sure who was more surprised, she or him.)

So he decided to just go with "hi," and had to duck as a fist barely missed his face. "The hell, Artemis?!" he yelled, putting some distance between them (and therefore standing in the rain again, which was just great.)

"What kind of person throws an attack when someone says hi?!"

The archer relaxed out of her fighting pose and had the nerve to not even look the slightest bit sheepish, just crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"What are you _doing_ here, Wally?" The red head was too annoyed to acknowledge the slight wobble in her voice and stepped back under the porch roof again, shaking the water out of his hair.

He was cold, wet, and just plain miserable, he did not have the nerve to deal with whatever emotional turmoil was going on with his tough team mate (but what choice did he have, it's not like he could just leave her).

"Visiting Rob," he answered her question, hugging himself to somehow preserve some warmth. "And you? Aren't you supposed to be with GA right now? What are you doing in _Gotham,_ that's like, an hour from Star."

Artemis avoided his scrutinising gaze, keeping her focus on the fences behind him.  
Wally knew he could be an idiot at times, barely took things serious and had a reputation for messing up missions, but if he had learned one thing from being best friends with someone who hid his emotions almost as well as the Bat, it was how to read another person.

Artemis' eyes were red rimmed, her cheeks blotchy and nose red. The rain must have washed away any tears, but Wally could still tell the signs. Artemis lacked her usual spitfire, or Wally would be on his way home with a broken nose right about now.

He sighed, giving her a small smile. With an somewhat reluctant huff, she rolled her eyes, trying to appear casual.  
"Just a fight with my old man, is all. I was visiting my cousin here in Gotham when he called, and on my way back home, the rain caught me by surprise." She shrugged. "And now I'm stuck."

Wally was silent for a moment, just watching. Whatever had happened between her and her dad must have really rattled her. Made him wonder what their relationship was.

A tight knot formed in his stomach, accompanied by the feeling of his chest tightening, as he realized that he didn't know _anything_ about the blond. Who were her parents, why was she living with her uncle, since when did she put on a mask (and why)? There were so many things he didn't know, and while she talked a lot, she _said_ almost nothing.

But right now, his curiosity would have to wait. Artemis seemed shaken, almost fragile (he'd never say that to her face though, he'd like to keep _his_ in the beautiful shape it was, thank you and please) and Wally had his own fair share of let's-not-talk-about-parents moments.

"Wanna come to the station with me? Pretty sure there's a train for Star City, too."  
He pulled his hood back up, glancing out at the rain. He frickin' hated Gotham.  
Artemis seemed just as apprehensive of the weather and glowered, but nodded nonetheless. "Whatever, Kid Idiot."

Wally tried not to notice the concealed fondness in her voice (since when was that there?) and mock-saluted, steeling himself to get even wetter than he already was. Artemis caught his arm, an umbrella clutched in her hand. It was small, probably too small for two people, but she still raised a questioning eyebrow.

Wally's lips quirked, a strange feeling fluttering in his stomach (not butterflies, absolutely not).

He took the umbrella, opened it and held it above the duo. "My lady," he quipped, extending his arm in a gentleman-like manner. It worked to sheer the vigilante up, even though it earned him a punch to the shoulder. "Shut it, Kid Mouth."

Wally snort, keeping close to stay beneath the black fabric as rain pitter-pattered around them. So maybe Gotham wasn't all that bad, with it's horrible weather, even worse people and stupid villains, maybe Wally could learn to see what made Robin so protective of the city. Or maybe he just felt comfortable with the silence that settled between the two friends.


End file.
